A broadcast receiver of this kind is known from the magazine Funkschau 8/92 I Spezial, pp. 22 to 26. Audio signals derived from the broadcast signal received in this broadcast receiver are processed in an audio circuit. Furthermore, RDS and TMC data is derived from the broadcast signal. RDS stands for Radio Data System and TMC for Traffic Message Channel. TMC is a functional extension of RDS. RDS-TMC data is transmitted as digital encoded data with the broadcast signal. TMC enables the listener, for example to fetch traffic messages stored in the broadcast receiver as often as desired before or after the start of driving, to listen to traffic messages selectively in conformity with the relevant route, and to have traffic messages spoken in the listener's native language, regardless of the relevant national language. Hereinafter, the RDS-TMC data will also be referred to in general as encoded messages. It is also feasible to transmit not only encoded traffic messages but also weather reports and other messages by way of RDS-TMC data or similar encoded data. The encoded messages received are applied to a storage device which applies control data to a control circuit in response thereto. A storage device comprises a data file for forming traffic messages and may be, for example a semiconductor memory connected to the control circuit, a semiconductor memory on a chip card, a CD-ROM etc. From the cited document it is known that the control data constitutes designations in an orthographic notation of a language which are to be output as speech. Orthographic is to be understood to mean herein the correct spelling of designations of a language. In order to enable the designations to be output as speech, the control circuit can access, for example a stored digitally encoded speech signal file.
It is an object of the invention to provide a broadcast receiver having a reduced data file.
This object is achieved by a broadcast receiver of the kind set forth in that there is provided at least one storage device for the storage of given control data under a respective escape code, and that the control circuit is arranged to apply, after reception of control data containing at least one escape doe, at least one escape code to a storage device and to receive the control data stored under the escape code.
In accordance with the invention control data associated with an escape code is stored in one or more storage devices. Control data associated with such an escape code contains frequently used designations, for example "Koln" (Cologne). "Anschlu.beta.stell" (junction) etc. If the control circuit receives control data from the storage device which corresponds to an encoded message and which contains at least one escape code, the corresponding message (for example, a traffic message) for a speech synthesizer circuit and/or a display device can be formed only after the control data stored under an escape code has been applied to the control circuit. Because such escape codes require less storage space than the control data, the data file is thus reduced. This is advantageous notably if the broadcast receiver is used for traffic information purposes and the data of a large traffic region (for example, Germany) is stored in a storage device. A further advantage of the invention consists in that suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code enables minimization of errors which could occur during the building up of the data file and would become visible or audible via the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit. A suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code is to be understood to mean herein a selection of word sequences, words and word parts (designations) from a linguistic point of view.
It may occur that for the formation of the message for the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit the control circuit need access at least one storage device several times in order to read the control data filed under escape codes. This can be explained on the basis of two examples. For the designation "Auschlu.beta.stelle Koln-Muhlheim" (junction Cologne-Muhlheim) "1265-Muhlheim" or "78654 43263-Muhlheim" could be stored as control data in a storage device. In the first case the control circuit reads, for example the control data "32987 Koln" for the escape code "12365". Subsequently, the control data (in this case: "Anschul.beta.stelle") must still be read for the escape code "32987" in order to compose the designation. In the second case the control circuit extracts the designations "Anschul.beta.stelle" and "Koln" from at least one storage device under the escape codes "78654" and "42263".
At least one storage device stores, under a respective encoded message or an escape code, control data wherefrom a designation in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one language can be derived. Control data may contain, partly or completely, escape codes which represent a given designation in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation. These designations may also be designations which do not belong to the first language but are derived from a second language. For example, there is no designation in German for the Dutch region "Twente". If the German language is the first language, for example in the Dutch orthographic notation the region "Twente" would be stored as an orthographic notation in the German language under the corresponding escape code in at least one storage device.
The data reduction becomes significant if the orthographic and/or phonetic notations in several languages are stored in the storage device. Apart from the control data of the first language, control data of a further language are then stored under a respective encoded message or an escape code in at least one storage device only if the orthographic and/or phonetic notations of the further language deviate from the first language. Such storage of control data of further languages enables a further reduction of the amount of data.
At least one storage device contains lists which are associated with storage sections and contain specific control data associated with a respective encoded message, and also an escape list with the escape codes and the respective associated control data. Such lists may be a location list, an area location list, a segment location list, a standard phrase list, etc. The location list contains locations designations (for example, towns) whereas the area location list contains traffic areas (for example, the Ruhr area), administrative areas (for example, Mittelfranken) or tourist areas (for example, Teutoburger Wald); the segment location list contains road segments and the standard phrase list contains parts of a traffic message (for example, 10 km traffic jam). The location, area location and segment location lists are region-specific lists, whereas the standard phrase list is a result-specific list.
The control circuit is arranged to supply region-specific control data from a first storage device and event-specific control data from a second storage device. The first storage device may then contain an escape list with region-specific control data and the second control device a list with result-specific control data.
The first storage device could form part of a chip card for use in a card reader. The configuration of such chip cards and their operation are described, for example in the documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,753, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,499, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,154 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,521. The advantage of such chip cards consists in that in a broadcast receiver they serve to decode traffic messages for a given region, so that they can be readily exchanged when the location or the region changes.
The invention also relates to a module for the processing of encoded messages derived from a broadcast signal, comprising a control circuit which is arranged to
deliver encoded messages, derived from the broadcast signal, to at least one storage device,
receive control data, derived from the encoded messages, from at least one storage device, and
form the messages from the control data in a form suitable for a display device and/or a speech synthesizer circuit.
At least one storage device is arranged to store given control data under a respective escape code. After having received control data containing at least one escape code, the control circuit is arranged to apply at least one escape code to a storage device and to receive the storage data stored under the escape code.
The invention also relates to a storage device for a broadcast receiver, or for a module for the processing of encoded messages derived from a broadcast signal, for the storage of control data for a respective encoded message. The storage device is arranged to store given control data under a respective escape code and to store further control data, containing at least one escape code, for a respective encoded message. Such a storage device may form part of a chip card whereto the invention also relates.